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What do we already know, or think we know, about climate & Antarctica?

What do we already know, or think we know, about climate & Antarctica?

In this lesson, students will elicit initial ideas about climate, explore images of Antarctica, learn important vocabulary, and synthesize how satellite imagery can help us understand climate change in Antarctica.

Context for Use

This is the first lesson of a five-part curriculum about Antarctic physical environments and ecosystems.

Meltwater on the ice shelf

Meltwater on the ice shelf near the McMurdo research station, Antarctica.
Photo credit: Nicholas Bayou / UNAVCO

Program
Antarctica: Connecting Climate Change, Melting Ice Shelves, and Pooping Penguins
Resource Type
Lesson
Topics
    Polar Science
High School
Instructional Time
60 minutes
NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea(s)
PS4C: Information Technologies and Instrumentation
Published Date
Registration Date

What Students Will Do

  • Use new vocabulary to describe Antarctic climate and environmental processes, and surface hydrology in particular
  • Begin to interpret satellite imagery of the Antarctic ice sheet

Teaching Materials

Student Handout: What do we already know, or think we know, about climate & Antarctica?
Teacher Guide: What do we already know, or think we know, about climate & Antarctica?
Satellite Image Sets
Card sort set

Description

Part 1 –  (20 minutes)  Climate and Antarctica Chalk Talk

Students will rotate through six posters and answer questions about climate and Antarctica designed to elicit existing ideas.

Part 2 –  (25 minutes) Introduction to Satellite Imagery

Students will look at a variety of satellite images and fill out a table of what they notice (observations) and wonder (inferences).

Part 3 –  (15 minutes) Interpreting Satellite Imagery

Students will match components of the imagery to specific vocabulary terms used in interpreting satellite imagery.

 

Additional Resources

Go to the next lesson in this unit
Go to the unit homepage

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